India will look to keep the slate clean by completing the whitewash today; Eden pitch to help batsmen.
The fifth and final ODI between India and England at the Eden Gardens may be a dead rubber but on a personal front, a lot could be at stake for Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The wounds of the mauling India got in England must be fresh in Dhoni’s mind. Though the India skipper has been maintaining that revenge was not on his mind, certainly he would leave no stone unturned to complete the whitewash on Tuesday. “We will certainly try to win the series 5-0, but in cricket, we cannot commit anything,” Dhoni said in Mumbai on Sunday.
What this could mean is that players like Rahul Sharma and S Aravind might have to wait for another tour to earn their India cap as it is very unlikely that R Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja would be rested. Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar and Varun Aaron will continue to man the pace attack.
With the Eden wicket expected to be full of runs, the only change in India’s XI could be Manoj Tiwary coming in place of Parthiv Patel. In that case, Gautam Gambhir would open the innings with Ajinkya Rahane.
The Eden pitch is likely to be a batsman’s paradise. This is the same wicket that was used during the World Cup earlier this year. There were three 300-plus scores in the four innings here.
When India had played their last ODI here in December 2009, Gambhir and Virat Kohli had smashed centuries to help the side chase down a target of 316 set by Sri Lanka. And considering the form Kohli has been in, the Delhi batsman will certainly want to score a big one and stake a claim for the Man-of- the-Series award.
On the other hand, nothing seems to be going right for the English men. Apart from their effort in Mohali, England have failed to pose a threat to the second-string Indian side. Moreover, Eden hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the English as they have lost both the matches they have played here, including the 1987 World Cup final against Australia. However, with nothing to lose, one could expect a final assault from Alastair Cook’s men. They have a chance to retrieve some pride.
But it won’t be that easy as the Men in Blue will be looking to give their countrymen a big Diwali gift by repeating their 2008 effort, when they won the seven-match home series against England 5-0 before the last two ODIs were cancelled due to 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}